Sock Knitting Tips

There is nothing like the feeling of hand knitted socks.
Really. I promise. They are way better than any socks you could buy. They are
warmer, much more fun and fit your
foot exactly. Not they kinda sorta fit, cause you know, they have a lot of stretch to them.
But they fit. Perfectly.

Over the years I have made my fair share of socks. Some have
lasted a long time, others…not so much. I have cursed and labored over a few
pair, while others have flown off my needles. But each one has taught me
something. Here are a few things that I have learned.

There are several ways to knit socks in the round – traditional
DPNs, 2 circulars and Magic Loop. I am a big fan of Magic Loop, but what works
great for one person may not for another. I recommend playing around with different
techniques to find the one that is best for you. I personally get ugly ladders
when I use DPNs. When I saw a friend knitting using the Magic Loop method, I knew that would be best for me.

Even with using the Magic Loop method, I still sometimes get
ladders in my work. I would pull that first stitch so tight that I thought I
would break the yarn at every turn (and actually did a few times). But I found
out that it’s not the first stitch that matters. It’s the second stitch. It’s a
whole math thing that a friend’s husband (a mathematical genius) explained to
me. I was skeptical at first (what does this guy who doesn’t knit and teaches
algebra know about ladders in knitting after all?), but I tried it his way. And
well…he was right.

Next is gauge, but not in the way you think. Yes, figuring
out your gauge is still very important (you want your socks to fit), but
another factor in gauge for socks is density. The tighter your gauge, the
denser your fabric will be. The denser your fabric, the longer your socks will
last. This means using a smaller needle size (I can hear you groaning though
the interwebs), but it’s well worth it.

If you are knitting cuff down socks, you will want to make
sure that your cast-on is as stretchy as possible. One good way to do this is
to cast-on on a larger needle. You can also cast-on over 2 needles to get a
looser edge.

Cast on over 2 needles with Alpaca Sox for more stretch in a cuff-down sock.

You know how when you knit a scarf and you get to an awkward
point, where it’s not so easy to flip the WIP, and at the same time, you can’t
really twist it without feeling tangled? Yeah…that happens in sock knitting
too. If you knit your socks cuff-down, you can fold them up inside the cuff as
you go. If you are knitting toe-up, roll them up and keep the roll in place by
using oversized stitch markers.

Heels are important. For a long time I knit a short row
heel. It’s an easy heel to do and doesn’t take much time (I can do one in about
35 minutes…I may have timed myself once or twice). But after a while I was
noticing that I was wearing through those socks pretty quick and all in the
same spot. It finally dawned on me that it was the type of heel that was my
problem. Don’t get me wrong, I still love a good short row heel and for some
people they are great. However, for my foot, they are a little too narrow and
therefore the fabric wears out faster. I have since switched back to a
traditional heel flap and gusset and am happy to report that my socks are
lasting much longer.

Have you ever followed a sock pattern so faithfully that you
find you get little holes where you pick up stitches for the gusset? Especially
at the top of the gusset? Did you know that you can pick up extra stitches
there and just knit a couple of extra decrease rows at the end of your gusset?
Yep. No one will know. I promise not to tell any of the designers.

I find when working the foot portion of my socks that it is
better to err on the side of caution and make them a smidge longer. There is a
better chance they will shrink after many years of washing and wearing.

Darning. This is a topic that can divide many sock knitters.
Some do it, some don’t. It’s a personal decision that only you can make. If you
search Pinterest, you will find a ton of tutorials on how to darn socks. I
admit that sometimes I darn my socks, while other times I just stand over the
trash can saying ‘darn, I really loved those socks’ as I throw them out.

Wow…I still have about 100 things to tell you about knitting
socks. But the most important thing is that you find what works for you.